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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29818026">The Hard Choice</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tenuda_Kin_12345/pseuds/Tenuda_Kin_12345'>Tenuda_Kin_12345</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Family, Family Fluff, Gen, Headcanon, Post Episode: s04e08 The Dark Red Caper, Post-Canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:34:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,277</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29818026</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tenuda_Kin_12345/pseuds/Tenuda_Kin_12345</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when Carmen hears about the escapes after 'retiring' for two years?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Hard Choice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my second work for Carmen Sandiego. Special thanks to Breemarie12256 (AO3), a truly talented fanfic writer who got me on with this series last month. I'm still new at this, so please do understand if it's not good. I was just writing whatever that came to my mind.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>          Carmen placed her phone down and rubbed her temples, frowning as she sighed. She knew that this day would come eventually, the day that V.I.L.E. would break out from custody and return to their evil deeds. It was inevitable, given that there were so many V.I.L.E. agents were still at large when A.C.M.E. stormed into V.I.L.E.’s headquarters and captured the four remaining faculty members.</p><p>           The moment that she heard about the recent escapes from Player, the very first thing she thought of was putting the red trench coat and fedora back on, getting back in action. After all, V.I.L.E. has always been her bane of existence since she left the academy as she knew the kind of threat it posed to the world. Any time, she wouldn’t have hesitated to take a chance to defeat V.I.L.E. But now, she felt a hesitation as she thought of what she has now.</p><p>           For the past two years, she has been helping her mother to take care of the children in the orphanage which her mother founded, as well as reconciling a relationship with her mother who hasn’t seen her since she was a young child. And Carmen loved all of it, the times she spent with her mother, and the children, who very much love her. Getting back into the action now would mean that she would have to put it all aside, and risk her life for the world, again.</p><p>           But Carmen wasn’t hesitating because she was scared of going through all that, she was hesitating because she was scared, of what impact would it bring her mother and the children of the orphanage if something happened to her on one of her capers. She had so many close calls before, Poitiers, Sweden, and the worst of all, the time she was brainwashed. If anything were to happen to her, it would definitely affect the people she cared about.</p><p>           The brunette felt conflicted, on one hand, she wanted to get back on the field, stopping V.I.L.E. Like the old days, but on the other hand, she was worried about her mother and the orphanage.</p><p>           As Carmen was deep in her thoughts, she suddenly heard a loud sound of something breaking. Snapping out of her deep thoughts, Carmen got up and rushed out of her room and towards where the sound was seemingly coming from. The brunette rushed into the kitchen to find her mother with a bleeding hand as the broken glass was scattered around the sink.</p><p>           “Mom! are you alright?” asked Carmen urgently as she was worried.</p><p>           “I’m fine, I’m… ah,” Carlotta groaned in pain as she tried to move her fingers. “I can take care of this.”</p><p>           “No, mom, you’re bleeding,” Carmen advised as she walked over to her mother, stopping her from picking up the glass.</p><p>           The younger brunette then helped her mother towards the nearest chair, settling her down before running to grab the first-aid kit before returning to treat her mother’s wound. It wasn’t anything too serious, just some cuts and scratches.</p><p>           “What happened?” asked Carmen as she treated her mother’s wound carefully.</p><p>           “Ah, I wanted to take a glass of water, then I guessed it slipped out of my hand,” Carlotta answered her daughter. “I’m getting old,” the older woman sighed shaking her head as Carmen cleaned the wound.</p><p>           “Mom, don’t say that, you don’t look a day over 50,” Carmen comforted as she took out the bandages from the first-aid kit.</p><p>           “Oh, you do flatter me,” Carlotta chuckled smilingly.</p><p>           “That should do it,” Carmen sighed in relief as she finished bandaging the wound and got up.</p><p>           “Thank you,” Carmen’s mother said gratefully as her daughter closed up the first-aid kit before moving to clean up the glass.</p><p>           As Carlotta looked at Carmen, she knew that something wasn’t right with her, Carmen usually looked more cheerful and bright, but now, Carmen was frowning, as if she was thinking hard about something. It was a look that Carlotta hardly saw on her daughter in the two years they lived together.</p><p>           “Camilla, is everything alright?” asked Carlotta concerned for her daughter.</p><p>           “Huh? Oh, I’m… fine, I guess,” Carmen said. After living with her mother for 2 years, she still wasn’t completely used to being called her by her birth name.</p><p>           “You have something on your mind?” asked her mother as Carmen cleaned up the glass.</p><p>           “Am I that obvious?” asked Carmen with a small smile.</p><p>           “Well, I know that look on your face, you have it every time something is troubling you,” Carlotta said. “So, what is it about?” asked Carlotta.</p><p>           Carmen was internally debating whether to tell her mother about this news. Eventually, she decided to just tell her as Carlotta asked.</p><p>           “There was a mass breakout last night,” Carmen began before a look of realization dawned upon her mother’s face.</p><p>           “V.I.L.E.?” asked Carlotta knowingly.</p><p>           “Yes,” Carmen sighed.</p><p>           Carlotta looked at her girl. She could guess what was going in Carmen’s mind. Her daughter wanted to go back out there to fight the organization that was responsible for her flawed upbringing and a part in her father’s death. Carlotta knew enough about the organization as she always asks about Carmen’s adventures, which would often result in her being amazed by how strong and brave her daughter was. But truth be told, Carlotta was even more amazed by how Carmen was able to stay on the right track after being raised by a group of literal thieves.</p><p>           “Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up,” Carmen sighed before continuing to clean up.</p><p>           “No, no. Don’t be sorry, you did nothing wrong,” Carlotta said. “I understand that you want to go back out there.”</p><p>           “Am I really that obvious?” Carmen rolled her eyes smiling as Carlotta hit jackpot once again.</p><p>           “Yes,” Carlotta chuckled as Carmen sat down on a chair, near her mother.</p><p>           “It’s just… I really want to go back out there, travel the world, stopping V.I.L.E.,” Carmen said.</p><p>           “Well, seems like a normal life doesn’t suit you,” Carlotta concluded.</p><p>           “No, no. Mom, don’t get me wrong. I love living with you, I love the children, I love what we did together the past two years. I wouldn’t want to lose this life. But, as long as I know V.I.L.E. is out there, causing chaos, but it’s just that, I’m worried,” Carmen sighed.</p><p>           “About what?” asked Carlotta.</p><p>           “You and the children,” Carmen said. “I’m worried… What if V.I.L.E. connects the dots and finds out, about you, about all this,” Carmen said concerned. “And what if… something happens to me, and… you know,” Carmen stuttered, remembering the time she was on the verge of death and the time she was brainwashed by V.I.L.E.</p><p>           “Camilla, don’t say that,” Carlotta comforted. “You’re a strong woman, I know that you will pull through, after all, you been through,” the older woman said confidently, placing her hand on her shoulder. “I know, how much taking V.I.L.E. down means to you, Camilla, I really do, you have my support. Don’t worry about us, we will be fine Camilla. The world needs you more,” Carlotta assured. “The world needs Carmen Sandiego.”</p><p>           Carmen looks at her mother, her doubts about this haven’t completely faded just yet, but she has made her choice.</p><p>           “Thank you, mom,” Carmen said smiling before she got up.</p><p>           “So, I assumed you made your choice?” asked Carlotta despite knowing what was Carmen’s choice.</p><p>           “Yeah, I have,” Carmen said smiling.     </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment your thoughts. As my other oneshots work in any fandom. This may or may not be picked up and turned into a series based on the reception or my liking. So, stay safe and stay tuned :)<br/>If you wanna chat about my fics, have any suggestions or request or stuff. Feel free to find me on Discord Tenudakin12345#7702, Twitter: https://twitter.com/TenudaKin or my email: glerenshane12345@gmail.com</p></blockquote></div></div>
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